Reviews by BAMF

Notes:
*I have seen posts about this lately as well as often hearing good things about it.
*I figured I would check it out considering it has an interesting cast of which includes Tupac!
*This is my first Ernest R. Dickerson film, but I have heard of his films of which I want to see eventually.
*I have also heard of (yet haven't seen) the other stuff written by Gerard Brown.
*Now let's see if it is as good as I've heard.

Pros:
*The players here were all excellent, but really Tupac outshines everyone here.
*I felt that it was pretty unpredictable with how things would play out.
*It's intense and feels like a realistic situation.
*Despite the ending feeling a little too quick I thought it was a good way to wrap it up.

Cons:
*It's only one of the too few movies Tupac got to be a part of.
*The ending felt a little too quick.

Verdict:
I feel like Tupac Shakur could have had an excellent film career as well with the way he was here. He pulled it off quite well here. Of course everyone else was great too. The story felt real and true. It's definitely a must watch movie and shows how greed and power affects people.

Notes:
*I knew just about nothing before watching this.
*All I knew is that it was about chess, who was in it, and that it was made by Disney.
*My main reasons to check this out were my wife and because of Lupita Nyong'o.
*Mira Nair also directed New York, I Love You which I enjoyed.
*I haven't seen anything from William Wheeler, but I have heard of at least one other film of his.
*I always adore these inspirational movies even more so when they are from Disney.
*So now let us see what this has for us.

Pros:
*The newcomers are actually pretty good especially the lead.
*The acting is pretty great from everyone to be honest.
*It takes place in Uganda, but there were similarities I noticed that reminded me of Ethiopia.
*It was a very inspiring and sweet story.
*To think that she went through all of that in life and still became successful is amazing.
*I loved the way they told us what happened with the real people and stuff in the end.

Cons:
*I would have liked longer chess scenes.
*There were a few moments that felt a bit silly.

Verdict:
It's a very inspiring and beautiful film. It shows that no matter where you start you can always end up doing something to better your life. I would say this is definitely worth checking out if you like such types of movies.

Notes:
*I have been meaning to watch this for some time, but just never got around to it.
*It has an amazing cast which is definitely a plus.
*It's also highly regarded.
*This was actually based off of Malcolm X's autobiography that was written by Alex Haley.
*Arnold Perl who wrote and directed the documentary from the 70s helps to write the screenplay here.
*I have seen a decent amount of Spike Lee's joints and Chi-raq so far is my favorite while the rest have still been fairly good watches.
*Anyways I am sure this one will be even better.

Pros:
*I knew this was going to end up being my favorite Spike Lee joint.
*I learned a lot about the people here than I realized.
*The acting was remarkable of course given the cast I'm not surprised.
*I liked the incorporation of videos that happened around that time.
*It keeps you interested from start to finish despite the lengthy runtime.
*There were people I didn't even realize were in this which was cool.

Cons:
*The runtime is very long so it takes time to sit and watch.
*I would have liked for some idea of what happened with people and such.

Verdict:
I would say this is a very important film. Sure it's on the long side, but it's worth watching when you have the time to. I learned stuff I didn't know about and I thought it was quite interesting. I didn't expect some of the things that had happened so it was an educational experience as well as entertaining. If you haven't seen it yet I implore that you do.

Notes:
*This month I wanted to base what I watched mostly in the category for black history month.
*As this was something I came across I decided to check it out.
*The cast is interesting enough.
*It also looks and sounds like an interesting watch.
*Charles Stone III also directed Lila & Eve as well as Drumline which were both decent watches.
*This is the only writing credit for Azie Faison Jr., Austin Phillips, and Thulani Davis.
*Matthew Cirulnick also wrote an animated film for Eminem called The Slim Shady Show.
*There seems to be controversy about the script.
*Anyways let us see if this is actually good or not.

Pros:
*The acting was excellent.
*You actually care what happens to the characters here even with what they are into.
*The story is pretty good and intense.
*There are some great twists and turns.

Cons:
*The dialogue got a bit annoying with all the mans, B's, and such to be honest.
*I wonder if the script was hindered because it had been completely redone.

Verdict:
It's a pretty intense and intriguing story of the drug game in the late 1980s of Harlem. The characters are interesting with the acting making them feel full. It kept me interested from start to finish. I would say it's definitely worth a watch if you can deal with the somewhat silly dialogue. It's for sure the best I've seen from this director.

Notes:
*I really adore musicals especially when they introduce people singing that I didn't see sing before.
*I like the cast with a few surprises here and there.
*My wife wanted to see this so that's why I finally made the way to see it.
*Another reason is to see what all the fuss and nominations were all about.
*Damien Chazelle also directed Whiplash so that is definitely a plus.
*A crazy thing is this guy also wrote 10 Cloverfield Lane and the unfortunate Last Exorcism Part II.
*Anyways I have heard someone say that it is great if you liked Singin In The Rain.
*So let us see what it has to offer.

Pros:
*The music is fun, unique, and different.
*Some of the musical numbers were fun.
*The story was nice and cute.
*The acting was great.
*The characters were likable and interesting.
*I thought Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling had great chemistry.

Cons:
*It felt a little too long.
*Some of the songs didn't work for me.
*Singin In The Rain is loads better.
*Some characters just seem to get left behind.

Verdict:
It's a refreshing and different new musical. I wouldn't say it's on top tier or deserves so many awards, but it is still pretty good. I don't think it is something I would seek to watch more than once to be honest. Still check it out as it does have a nice story that makes you care.

Notes:
*This was the second choice for me and my wife to see when we finally made it together.
*Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae were enough to pull my attention to this.
*It really does have an excellent cast besides them too.
*I find it interesting that this and Loving both take place in Virginia near the same time frame.
*I didn't know this was based off of a book.
*Theodore Melfi also wrote and directed St. Vincent that in my opinion was just a decent movie with good moments.
*Allison Schroeder also wrote Mean Girls 2 which was terrible.
*Now to get to what this movie offered.

Pros:
*The writing was actually really good.
*The acting was excellent.
*My favorites here were Janelle Monae and Taraji P. Henson. I might be biased, but I don't care lol.
*All the stuff these women went through was crazy.
*It's not only about race here, but also about being a woman in the time which I thought was an interesting look at things.
*I also liked the soundtrack.

Cons:
*Um Kirsten Dunst is a downside for me.

Verdict:
I think this was an excellent movie. It's a great one for equal/women's rights. Everything they went through so the future could be better and do more. These women were strong and didn't let barriers stop them. I would highly recommend checking this out whenever possible.

Notes:
*I have been wanting to see this forever as it made way for the kind of life I would live.
*I waited to see it only so I could see it with my wife who is from Ethiopia.
*I felt it would be a good story for us to watch together as it lead the way to make it possible for us to be together.
*Another reason is because even though Mildred Loving was African American she is played by Ruth Negga who has Ethiopian heritage.
*I also really like the other actors involved here.
*Jeff Nichols is a very interesting filmmaker with Mud and Midnight Special.
*Anyways I'm glad I finally have the chance to check it out.

Pros:
*The chemistry between Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton was amazing.
*The acting in general was pretty good.
*It was beautifully shot.
*For me and my wife this story meant a lot for the future it made for us.

Cons:
*It was hard to take Nick Kroll seriously here.

Verdict:
This is a great movie to see for history and even interracial couples. It is beautifully shot and the story is well told. I loved the chemistry between the main couple. It really shows how those times were and that while there is always bad good is there too. I would definitely say this is a must see.

Notes:
*We play this at my theater so I have the chance to go see it.
*The cast is an interesting one except for Ciaran Hinds who I just can't stand lol.
*This is a Martin Scorsese film so I expect good things to happen.
*I have heard some people don't like it though, but then again people these days want constant action.
*This is co-written by Jay Cocks who also wrote on Gangs of New York with Scorsese.
*Apparently Japan had adapted the book this is based on in 1971 which I never knew until now.
*Anyways let's see if this is a winner or not.

Pros:
*The story is very interesting itself.
*The acting was quite excellent as well.
*You can tell that this was more about telling the story than just making it insane to entertain the easily distracted.

Cons:
*It feels a bit drawn out.
*To be honest it can get boring at times as well.

Verdict:
It is a very interesting look at the history of Christianity and Japan. The acting, story, and directing are all really well done. It's a bit long and drawn out, but it is a story that I think people should look at.

Notes:
*I thought this looked pretty awesome, but I never watched the first one so I was going to pass.
*Apparently it's pretty much a completely new story than the first so I decided to go ahead and watch it now.
* I haven't seen any films from director Pou-Soi Cheang, but I have heard of some.
*Lai-yin Leung also wrote Ip Man 3 so that's a plus.
*This is the only writing credit for Ying Wong though.
*I hope this is as awesome as it looks.
*Thank goodness for Netflix and the content it shares.

Pros:
*When the fight scenes they are intense and fun.
*The soundtrack they use was interesting.
*I really liked the characters and the acting.
*The story was pretty good with a few unexpected twists to things.

Cons:
*There weren't as many action scenes as I was expecting.
*It felt a bit all over the place in some moments.

Verdict:
This was an interesting action drama with some great fight scenes. There could have been more, but they did focus a lot on the dramatic side with this one as well as the fighting. It keeps you invested in the story and characters. There are bits that could be improved here and there. All in all I liked it and would say to give it a check out.

Notes:
*I saw the trailer for this and honestly wasn't too sure what to expect from it.
*After hearing nothing but positive word of mouth I decided to go ahead and check it out.
*It has a great cast anyways which is a plus.
*Besides that Mel Gibson is a pretty damn good director usually.
*I've never heard of the writers, but I wanted to see The Water Diviner which happens to be written by Andrew Knight.
*Now time to go see if this is any good.

Pros:
*The acting was excellent!
*The people were interesting and likable.
*I was surprised by Vince Vaughn here.
*It's quite an incredible tale of bravery.
*The story is all around very captivating.
*Mel Gibson still shows he has great skills behind the camera.

Cons:
*I would have liked to know what happened with everyone after the events.

Verdict:
This was an incredible movie about courage and bravery. It was probably one of the most graphic depictions of war that may be hard for some to watch. You gotta respect people who do these kinds of things. It has a great mixture of drama, romance, and intensity. I would highly recommend checking this one out. Just not for the weak stomached.